Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Hanzhong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanzhong: $692 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Hanzhong
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Hanzhong Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Hanzhong

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Hanzhong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seoul and in Hanzhong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $692 in Hanzhong.

Seoul $1,804
Hanzhong $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,110 in Hanzhong.

Seoul $2,877
Hanzhong $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,527 in Hanzhong.

Seoul $3,950
Hanzhong $1,527

Living in Seoul is roughly 161% more expensive than in Hanzhong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Hanzhong is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.75 ¥18.38

230.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$18.25 ¥122

265.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.53 ¥30.27

65.34%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.18 ¥14.55

92.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.40 ¥2.70

287.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.26 ¥1.74

203.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.53 ¥10.21

137.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.52 ¥10.19

303.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.45 ¥9.68

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.67 ¥11.17

82.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.91 ¥6.10

362.64%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.43 ¥9.53

147.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$11.80 ¥78.9

52.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$4.17 ¥27.85

148.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$10.31 ¥69.0

156.74%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.68 ¥11.23

370.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.10 ¥7.35

212.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.28 ¥8.55

340.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.27 ¥8.52

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.65 ¥4.31

470.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.71 ¥4.72

254.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.63 ¥4.19

355.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.59 ¥3.96

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.44 ¥22.99

-2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$9.81 ¥65.6

90.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.78 ¥5.18

192.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.75 ¥11.71

89.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.29 ¥1.91

289.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$18.20 ¥122

156.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.24 ¥8.27

183.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$4.58 ¥30.62

91.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.26 ¥8.46

15.08%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

54.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

58.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 ₩280.4K

$41.30 ¥276

410.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$5.82 ¥38.95

507.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$10.63 ¥71.1

93.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$40.88 ¥273

41.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.70 ¥98.3

10.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.10 ¥34.07

122.94%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$703 ¥4,703

179.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

32.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$38.35 ¥256

49.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$37.56 ¥251

-11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$73.8 ¥494

-5.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$92.3 ¥617

-8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$293 ¥1,958

199.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$184 ¥1,227

240.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$637 ¥4,260

294.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$375 ¥2,506

243.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,538 ¥23.7K

758.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,918 ¥12.8K

519.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$588 ¥3,929

512.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.1

31.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hanzhong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Hanzhong

$184 26.5% 70.6% $441

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Hanzhong

$194 28% 59.5% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Hanzhong

$58 8.3% 78.4% $209

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Hanzhong

$75 10.8% 59.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Hanzhong

$109 15.7% 1.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Hanzhong

$51 7.4% 36.5% $29

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Hanzhong

$22 3.2% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $293 in Hanzhong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 512% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $18.00 in Hanzhong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $194 per month, with Hanzhong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Hanzhong

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,416,196

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Hanzhong 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Hanzhong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanzhong wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hanzhong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 512% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $878 in Seoul versus $293 in Hanzhong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $703 in Hanzhong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Hanzhong versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hanzhong but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Hanzhong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Hanzhong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hanzhong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.